Xref: utzoo alt.religion.computers:1178 gnu.misc.discuss:596 Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!wuarchive!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!ark1!ophiuchi!dsill From: dsill@ophiuchi.nswc.navy.mil (Dave Sill) Newsgroups: alt.religion.computers,gnu.misc.discuss Subject: Re: Disinfecting the GNU Public Virus...er...License Message-ID: <1989Dec20.170048.14251@relay.nswc.navy.mil> Date: 20 Dec 89 17:00:48 GMT References: <4&VSZ:@splut.conmicro.com> Sender: news@relay.nswc.navy.mil (News) Reply-To: Dave Sill Organization: Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren VA Lines: 48 In article <4&VSZ:@splut.conmicro.com>, jay@splut.conmicro.com (Jay "you ignorant splut!" Maynard) writes: > > This is a legal virus, as insidious and as evil as the (all too common) > computer virus. ---- BS. I don't see how you can compare something designed to destroy data and make life difficult for people with something designed to cut down on the reinvention of software "wheels". > It forces anyone who wishes to use GNU code in his > program to subscribe to Richard M. Stallman's utopia. So what? If you don't like that, don't use the software. > How is this harmful? Let's take a recent example: Someone posted a > version of GNU's getopt() that he had modified to accept / as well as - > as the switch character to alt.sources - without including a copy of the > GNU Public License. I believe the copyright messages in the code referenced the GPL. Not including a copy was a minor omission. > ... let's look at another effect of this: the effect on some poor > slob who innocently snarfs a copy of the code and builds it into his > life's work. Without reading the copyright message? He deserves what he gets. > Ignorance of the law is no excuse, so the user of the code is still > covered by the terms of the GNU Public License. Presto! Without knowing > it, Come on, aren't you exaggerating just a tad? > he's just obligated himself to giving away the source code to > WhizzoCalc, and prevented himself from keeping others from giving it > away, forever. > In short, we would be free not to join in RMS' utopia. You don't need to change the GPL to do that. > Therefore, fixing this can only be done by the FSF itself. You can write your own license based on the GPL. Dave Sill (dsill@relay.nswc.navy.mil)